


At the End of the Day

by akasuns



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Best Friends, Confessions, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Foiled Confessions, Friends to Lovers, Post-Time Skip, Reader-Insert, Reader-Interactive, Romantic Fluff, just another day with osamu and his bad luck!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-21
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:15:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27135118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/akasuns/pseuds/akasuns
Summary: At the end of the day, Osamu loved you. And at the end of an incredibly unlucky day, he finally, finally, finally got to tell you.
Relationships: Miya Osamu/Reader
Comments: 18
Kudos: 162





	1. Hey Angel (05:30AM)

**Author's Note:**

> no one asked for a self-indulgent osamu multichap but here i am writing it anyway 😋 honestly, all the hype with osamu in my _the life of a manager_ story really pushed me down the osamu rabbit hole 😳 HAHAHA
> 
> anyways, happy reading!! ❤️

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey angel, do you know the reasons why we look up to the sky?  
> Hey angel, do you look at us and laugh when we hold on to the past?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “I think, for me, it was important to open with _Hey Angel_ ‘cause it very much felt like this album’s _Clouds_ , just in the way that it opens and it’s pretty simple. And, you know, it’s kinda like stabby, it’s not too complicated.”
> 
> —H.E.S. on [Hey Angel](https://open.spotify.com/track/4fLTtg48X0QtKrj0Jv8I3v)

**[05:30AM]**

Miya Osamu wanted to think he was a pretty lucky guy.

He was lucky enough to be gifted with natural athletic abilities that made him stand out in the high school volleyball scene a few years back. He was lucky enough to have pulled all the right strings and business moves to make _Onigiri Miya_ the food icon it was today. And even though he would rather choke on his own rice ball than admit it out loud, he was lucky enough to have been born a twin because he absolutely couldn’t imagine a life without Atsumu by his side.

Yup. He was pretty lucky.

At least, that’s what he thought. Until one day, it seemed that luck wasn’t on his side at all…

_“You’re staring.”_

“Am I?”

You took a brief glance at Osamu and sure enough, his eyes remained glued on you. You gave him a pointed look before redirecting your gaze to the sun that was just beginning to rise and the quiet orange sky it brought along. “Keep staring at me like that and you’re gonna miss the sunrise.”

The dark haired twin chuckled, not at all fazed by your threat but he decided to humor you and turned to stare instead at the beautiful dawn colors that held your attention. It was beautiful, he guessed, but it definitely didn’t hold a candle to you.

He couldn’t resist. After a few short seconds, he turned his gaze back to you and admired how beautiful you looked at that moment.

_Beautiful… Ethereal… Like an angel…_

If you knew half the things going through his head right now, you would’ve had a whiplash. After all, it wasn’t everyday that your best friend in the whole world thought of you in a way that far surpassed the border of friendship. But that border — that line that he desperately wanted to cross with you for a long time now — was exactly why he tagged along with you that morning.

“You and I both know I couldn’t care less ‘bout the sunrise,” he decided to tease you a bit.

You gasped dramatically, the sound echoing over the rooftop you two were staying at. The space was empty except for the two of you, most of the usual morning ruckus occurring below you on the busy streets, leaving the tranquil rooftop free at the moment for your disposal.

That had always been your own morning ritual. Every morning, just as the sky had exhibited the faint tinges of orange, you trudged up to the rooftop of your apartment to enjoy a few moments of peace looking up at the breathtaking sunrise. Those few moments were your sanctuary and up until recently, it had only been _yours._

When Osamu told you a few days ago that he wanted to join you in your little morning routine, you were exhilarated and nervous at the same time. Sitting in silence and watching the sky may be pretty boring for some people — and not to mention that he had to take the extra steps to wake up early and spend a good chunk of time travelling from his place to yours, all for a few short seconds of sunrise. The typical person might say it was a waste of time but even though Osamu had proven to you time and again that he wasn’t like other people — that as your closest _friend_ in the whole world, he definitely didn’t mind sitting in silence with you — you were still quite intimidated by his opinions.

“Samu,” you whined. “I already said you didn’t have to come here with me!”

“Wait—“

“Just go back down,” you continued, already feeling a bit put out by his lack of interest. “I’ll follow along in a bit.”

“Lemme finish—“

“Why did you insist on joining me, anyway, if you weren’t even the least bit interested in the sun— mmph!”

You stared with wide eyes as Osamu effectively pinched your mouth shut using his thumb and index finger. He stared back at you and chuckled at your scowling expression. For someone who he was sure was an actual angel, you were pretty nervous and fidgety. _Well_ , he supposed, _you were bound to have some kind of quirk._

He held your gaze in a playful manner before smiling. “Will ya let me finish what I was sayin’ now?”

You nodded slowly and immediately, he let go of your mouth before giving your cheek a playful peck. Moving closer to you on the small blanket the two of you had been sitting on, he wrapped his arm around you and nuzzled your hair.

“As I was sayin’, I don’t particularly care ‘bout the sunrise,” he stared at you while you kept your gaze on the morning sky. “But I know ya love ‘em, [Y/N].”

“I do.”

“Can ya tell me why?”

“Why, huh? What is this, an interview?” You teased, leaning your head against his shoulder as you observed how the orange color in the sky started to become more dominant now. “You wanna know the reason I always look up to the sky… Well, to state the obvious, Samu, the view is just— It’s so beautiful…”

Your voice now held a wistful tone as you explained to him your deep admiration for the morning sky. “Look at how the black blends in with the orange! It’s like a state of in-between, you know? There’s some leftover darkness from the night before but the sunlight for the day ahead is also starting to make itself seen…”

_A state of in-between._ Kinda like how both of you were sort of teetering that fine line between friendship and… something more.

You broke your gaze from the sky and looked up to Osamu with a smile. “It’s _dawning_ , Samu.”

“Dawning,” he repeated, stroking your cheek gently and locking his eyes with yours. _This was it. This was the opening he was waiting for._ “The beginnin’ of a new day. The start of somethin’ wonderful.”

You hummed in agreement, your eyes trapped in the gaze of his gray ones. You reached a hand up to run it through his hair as he sighed contentedly.

“What do ya say to havin’ a sunrise of our own?”

“Huh?” Your hand stopped its ministrations on his hair as you looked at him in confusion.

“Why don’t we have our own _dawning_? The start of somethin’ beautiful _for us_?”

“What do you mean?”

He cupped your cheeks before taking a deep breath. His heart was beating loudly in his chest, almost as if it knew the profound impact of the next few words he was trying to speak. He had never told you this before — never told you those three little words — but that was _exactly_ why he insisted on watching the sunrise with you today. _It was now or never._

Ever since high school, you have always been there for him. And when everyone around him started moving on to bigger and brighter ventures, you remained by his side like the ever dutiful best friend. Even when Atsumu left to go pro or when Suna pursued the same, you were still here with him. You were _constant_.

Saying those words would be a turning point for your friendship. Depending on your reaction, depending on if you felt the same way or not, it could only end in two ways — a step backward, or a step forward.

Osamu figured that watching the morning sky with you would give him the courage to finally tell you what he’d been meaning to for a long time now, would give him the assurance that this will definitely lead to a step _forward_ in your relationship. A dawning.

He took another deep breath before finally going for it.

“[Y/N]?”

“Yes?”

“There’s somethin’ I’ve been meaning to tell ya for a long time now…” He took yet another deep breath, releasing it slowly. “I, uh— I mean, yer my best— You mean a lot to me, ya know that, right?” You nodded. “Yer the most important person to me right now. And I…”

_Inhale. Exhale._

“[Y/N], I lov—”

_RING! RING! RING!_

“Aren’t you gonna get that?” You bit your lip.

“Nah, it’ll probably just stop—”

_RING! RING! RING!_

“It’s not stopping,” you giggled, nudging him to pick up his phone. “Go on, it could be an emergency.”

Osamu sighed before reaching in his pocket to fish out his phone, opening it but before he could check the caller ID and—

_“SAMU! WHAT THE HELL?! WHY DIDN’T YA WAKE ME?”_

You winced at the shrillness of Atsumu’s voice through the phone and you could’ve sworn you saw Osamu’s eyebrow twitch. He counted to ten, calming himself, before answering. “I did wake ya. I told ya I was leavin’ early to watch the sunrise with [Y/N] and what did ya do? Ya flipped me off, ya scrub!” And with that, he ended the call.

“Tsum Tsum throwing a morning tantrum?” You giggled, puffing your cheeks out to contain what would’ve been full blown laughter. Osamu couldn’t help it, he reached out to pinch your cheek because _you looked so fucking cute._

“He’s an ass. He’s only visitin’ for a couple o’ days and he’s already summoned a tornado in my house.”

“Tornado?”

“Ya should come by and see for yerself. Even I don’t know how to explain it.”

You couldn’t contain your laughter anymore. You broke out into adorable little laughs and Osamu swore he had never seen anything more beautiful. With the way the orange sunrise behind you outlined your figure, he was left dazzled by the otherworldly sight before him. If he still wasn’t sure before, then at that moment, he was absolutely positive. You really _were_ an angel.

He leaned his forehead against yours — which proved to be quite difficult because you were still hiccuping with giggles. “[Y/N]?”

“Hm?” You asked, snorting now.

He took a deep breath. _This time, for sure. This was it…_ “I’m in lo—”

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

“Samu? It’s your phone again…”

The dark haired twin heaved a long wistful sigh. “I know, [Y/N]...”

“Aren’t you gonna get it? Maybe it’s Tsumu again.”

“No, s’not him. It’s my alarm.” _Seriously? Interrupted twice by my own phone? Does the universe hate me or what?_

“Alarm? Ooh! What for?”

“It’s nothing big, really,” he said, turning off his alarm and putting it back in his pocket, activating silent mode for good measure. “It’s for when I go hiking later—”

“Hiking?!” You shrieked.

“Yeah,” Osamu grimaced at your volume. “Jeez, what’re ya all excited for?”

“You were planning on going hiking? _Without_ me?!”

“Ya don’t even like hiking.”

“Of course, I do!” You crossed your arms over your chest and scowled at him. “I went with you before, remember?”

“That was one time,” he poked your cheek playfully. “And that was back in _high school_.”

“So?” You persisted. “It’s only been what? A couple of years? Nuh uh, Samu, I’m going with you. That’s final.” You stood up and started dusting yourself off.

“Fine, then, but could ya stay still for a sec?” He stood up as well, exasperated, but you were already heading back inside. “I didn’t even get to tell ya what I wanted to say!”

“Tell me later,” you called out without looking back at him, quickening your steps. “I have to get ready for our hike!”

“But—“

“Samu, come on!”

He stared as you left him behind, and gone along with you was the sweet, sweet opportunity Osamu thought he finally grasped to tell you how he really felt about you. Gently but firmly, he rubbed his temples in both frustration and amusement before following your retreating figure.

_I’ll tell her later, then. During the hike, no more interruptions. I’ll turn my phone off and I’ll talk to Tsumu. Surely, nothing else could go wrong..._

(Boy, if he only knew.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ‘hey angel’ is my favorite song off the album and i’ve always been a sucker for its lyrics! :)
> 
> anyways, thank you sm for reading!! 🥰


	2. What a Feeling (10:30AM)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What a feeling to be a king beside you, somehow  
> I wish I could be there now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “It has kind of got a little Fleetwood influence in there, and just the whole feel of the song is feel-good. It’s like one of those songs you could have playing with the roof down in your car, feeling like a bit of a chief.”
> 
> —L.W.T. on [What a Feeling](https://open.spotify.com/track/0iSWAT0EL8TwmzcgBjKMh6)

**[10:30AM]**

“I can’t believe ya actually tagged along with me for this.”

You groaned. “Say that again one more time, and I swear I’ll kick you off of this cliff.”

Osamu laughed, stopping by a big rock and leaning against it before opening his backpack and pulling out a water bottle to take a sip. “Here,” he panted, handing you the bottle. “Drink up. Last time I checked, the only physical exercise ya did were wrist stretches. Yer lucky ya even made it this far.”

“Oh, shut up,” you stuck out your tongue at him before taking the water bottle. “In case you’ve forgotten, we always went hiking back in high school.”

“Again, that was one time,” he gave you a pointed stare. “And like you said, that was back in _high school_.”

Admittedly, you had not taken _that_ into account when you asked him earlier to let you come with him on his hike. Having successfully hiked this very trail with him back when you were still teenagers, you naively thought today wasn’t gonna be any different. You had nagged at him about how you’d have no problem finishing the trail. Now, a few hours later, the two of you were still only a quarter done with the trail and the dark haired twin muttered that you’re still nowhere near halfway through.

The area, though, was absolutely breathtaking — just like you’d remembered. You couldn’t resist taking a few photos.

“Move a bit to the side… That’s it. Perfect.”

You tried holding in your laughter as you posed in between two awkwardly placed rocks in the middle of the trail with Osamu holding your phone, acting as your own personal photographer while balancing himself on another risky looking rock. After striking a few more poses, you couldn’t take it anymore and laughed at how ridiculous your photoshoot situation was.

“There! That’s nice,” Osamu, ever the supportive best friend, murmured as he smiled appreciatively at your giggling expression and changed the camera angle while you were laughing. “Makes a cute candid shot.”

After taking a couple more shots, he looked down at your screen and admired the photos he took. There was one of you doing an over-the-shoulder pose, there was one of you looking out at the distance and putting a hand up to shield your face from the sun, and there was one of you looking straight at the camera with a bright smile.

_Fuck, you were so beautiful… So magical… You looked like a queen and he felt like a king just standing next to you._

Psh. Earlier, he thought you were an angel and now he was dubbing you as some kind of queen? He was more whipped than he thought.

You hurriedly ran to where he was perched before pulling him down and immediately grabbing your phone to look at his handiwork.

“Hm, I like that one,” Osamu propped his chin on your shoulder to look at the photos with you and pointed at his pick. “The sun’s at the right angle and it looks like yer glowing.”

“Well, aren’t you a hotshot photographer?” You pocketed your phone and playfully smacked his head off your shoulder. “If Onigiri Miya doesn’t last, you already have a backup plan.”

“Ah, shut up. Do I need to remind ya that yer my business partner? If the shop’s goin’ down, princess, yer goin’ down with me.”

“Really? Because last time I checked, that ramen shop across the street tried to recruit me—“

“I ain’t gunna finish that sentence if I were you, ya traitor,” he pinched your cheek while you laughed. “Jeez, is that what you came here for? Came all the way on this hike just to make me miserable?”

“Samu, how did you know? Did you read my itinerary for today— eek!”

You were cut off by Osamu tackling you but luckily, you had stable footing so the two of you hadn’t tumbled to the ground and off the trail. He persisted, however, keeping his arms tight around you and squeezing you with so much strength you could barely breathe.

“Samu— Sweaty— Can’t breathe—“

“Serves ya right,” he squeezed you even tighter, ignoring the way your hands weakly tried to push him off. “If ya promise to be nice, I’ll let go.”

You still managed to wriggle free, however, and stuck out your tongue. “Loser.”

He shook his head before scoffing. “Brat.”

“Stupid.”

“Dummy.”

“ _Baka_.”

“Ya couldn’t think of better insults?”

“Well, they’re all true,” you shrugged before grabbing his wrist. “Now, come on or we’re never gonna finish this trail!”

“God, yer so annoying,” he said playfully. “Yer even worse than ‘Tsumu.”

“What else is new, Samu?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Osamu looked at your hand on him as a strange sensation flooded his body. He had half a mind to try and confess to you again but with the way the morning started earlier, he was starting to have doubts. _Maybe that was a foreshadowing of some sort? Maybe today wasn’t the right time to tell you?_

But as soon as those thoughts flickered through his mind, they were immediately overshadowed by a little piece of wisdom you told him way back in high school...

_(“Let me get this straight,” you had stared at Osamu, arms crossed over your chest. “You think ‘Tsumu’s right.”_

_The younger twin had hung his head in shame, indirectly confirming your suspicions that he had given Atsumu’s words more care than he liked to admit. It wasn’t that he thought he wouldn’t be happy playing volleyball professionally, he just knew he’d be much happier opening up his own food business._

_He had known that. He had been secure in that fact. But his fight with Atsumu earlier that day had led to a bunch of angry words shouted in the heat of the moment. One thing had led to another and suddenly, Osamu was already second-guessing his choice of path despite not having walked it yet._

_You had sighed, uncrossing your arms and wrapping them around the then-gray-haired twin in a show of comfort. “‘Samu… This is something you want, right?”_

_“More than anythin’.”_

_“Then what’s stopping you?”_

_He had stayed quiet for a few moments, before finally looking you in the eye. “I’m scared… of failin’... of it being too risky… of eating my words.” He took a deep breath. “I’m scared of it not being worth it.”_

_“There’s always gonna be risks, ‘Samu. That’s all the more reason to try new things and if it’s something you want, it’s always gonna be worth it.” You had smiled at him, ruffling his hair affectionately. “Whatever chain that’s holding you back, you can’t let it tie you down… How else are you gonna move forward?”)_

Osamu stilled.

_Don’t let your chains tie you down… How else are you gonna move forward…_

You were right and he had to stifle a laugh at how you had indirectly given him advice on how to confess to you. But he wasn’t complaining, not one bit. _Okay, this was it. Maybe this was the right moment…_

He twisted his arm a bit to make it so that your hand was holding onto his hand instead of his wrist, which led you to turn to him startled. “Listen, about what I was tryin’ to tell ya earlier.” He pulled you to a stop and you stared at him with a big question mark above your head, all too aware of the sudden seriousness your conversation had taken. “[Y/N], for the longest time now, I have lov—”

“Oh! Sorry, bud!” A random hiker bumped into Osamu, causing the dark haired twin to lose his balance so you had to grab both his arms to steady him. “You okay? Lost my footing there for a sec…”

“Fine, I’m fine.” Osamu was anything but. In truth, he was angry and seething inside. Not at being knocked forward a bit, no. He was angry that this was the third time this morning that his planned life-changing confession was interrupted.

Of course, the hiker didn’t know that. He thought the murderous look on Osamu’s face was directed at him so as soon as the twin said he was ‘fine’, the poor hiker scampered out of sight.

“Samu?” You squeezed his arm to calm him down. It worked, of course, because this was _you_. “You okay? You’re not hurt or anything, are you?”

The younger twin counted to ten before answering. “No, I’m fine. It’s just…” Not wasting any more time, he grabbed your face and locked your eyes in an intense gaze.

Whoever said _third time’s the charm_ obviously didn’t know what they were talking about. The fourth time, however, was probably the real charm. Now, to test that theory…

“[Y/N], as I was sayin’…” he trailed off, looking to the side before returning his gaze back to your face. _Was it just him or did you look a bit uncomfortable?_ “Look. What I’m tryna say is that I’m in lo—”

“Samu?” Your face felt completely heated now and you were squirming a bit weirdly. “I’m sorry but I really need to go.”

_Why were you squirming— Wait! Huh?!_

“What? You need to go?”

“Yes!” You were bouncing your leg now, eyes frantically looking all around the trail searching for something Osamu didn’t know. “I have to go!”

“Go where?”

“No, not somewhere,” your face was scrunched up in immense discomfort, eyes a bit watery. “Samu! I need to go! I need to pee!”

To his utter horror, you scrambled out of his hold and awkwardly ran off to the back of a particularly large rock, effectively hiding yourself from view. If he wasn’t so worried for your bladder, he definitely would’ve strangled you for being the reason behind his _fourth_ interruption of the day.

When you were finally done relieving yourself, you went back to his side and sheepishly smiled at him. At this point, Osamu didn’t even bother trying for a _fifth_ time, knowing full well that something was bound to interrupt him yet again. What he didn’t know, however, was why you suddenly started laughing out of the blue once you were no more than a feet away from him.

“Did I say somethin’ funny?”

“Oh my god,” you breathed out in between laughs. “No, Samu! Goodness, I’m so sorry for laughing.” You hiccupped. “It’s just that… I need to call Atsumu right now.”

“‘Tsumu?” Osamu was dumbfounded. He just tried declaring his love for you, only for you to pull away because of the call of nature. And now you wanted to phone another man?

_King, my ass._ He mentally grumbled. _How could I be a king when I couldn’t even make you listen to me?_

“Yeah, yeah,” you were still laughing as you took out your phone and pressed a few buttons. “I have to tell him about that energy drink he gave me earlier.” You giggled. “He told me I wouldn’t last the trail without peeing halfway through. Guess he was right— Oh, hey Tsum Tsum! Yeah, you were absolutely right! I didn't even last a few hours…”

Osamu tuned you out at that point. Honestly, he never thought confessing to you would prove to be _this_ difficult. Maybe he should’ve planned this better? Or maybe he shouldn’t need to plan at all? Gah, surely, confessing to someone didn’t need this much brain power, right?

Well, he guessed he just had to push through. After all, you were more than worth it. And if a couple of failed confessions were what it took to finally push your relationship to the next level, he could take them. In fact, he could do this all day if it means he’ll hear you say yes at the end of it all.

(He shouldn’t have spoken too soon.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> when i first listened to 'what a feeling', i didn't give it much thought. i only started to appreciate more whenever i played it during road trips and long drives! :)
> 
> thank you for reading!! 🥰


	3. Olivia (02:30PM)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When you go and I'm alone, you live in my imagination  
> The summertime and butterflies all belong to your creation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “It doesn’t have to be so literal, like _Olivia_ could be a place or a family member. It’s not necessarily about me, it might be like an observation or thing. But obviously when you listen to it, you assume that there’s a girl called _Olivia_ which could be true but also isn’t necessarily the case. I always think it’s fun to take a situation or an emotion and then personify it.”
> 
> —H.E.S. on [Olivia](https://open.spotify.com/track/5dONhl6aXFuN86UBdayF6W)

**[02:30PM]**

Onigiri Miya was closed for the day. But that didn’t mean you and Osamu had the day off.

And true, going to work on days off might be a drag for some but not for Miya Osamu. After all, he got to spend more time with you — what more could he ask for?

“Samu, Samu! Wait for me!”

_Okay, maybe there was something more he’d like to ask for…_

The former wing spiker straightened up and looked at your approaching figure. Instantly, almost as if he couldn’t help it, his mouth morphed into a smile as he eyed your running figure as you barged out of the entrance of the Onigiri Miya establishment and joined him on the driveway. You looked so adorable and Osamu couldn’t help but stare at you in delight.

“Here! I brought you some water and— oof!”

His eyes widened as you slipped and tumbled along the front steps, the water bottle you were carrying flying out of your grasp and Osamu had no choice but to reenact his old high school volleyball days — diving in a perfect digging position as he tried to catch the bottle before it crashed on the ground. This ended up in him tumbling along with you on the (thankfully) grassy area of the restaurant’s front grounds.

“Ah…”

“Nice receive…”

He stared at the poker face you were trying to maintain, your cheek covered in a bit of mud and both of your clothes a bit dirty. A few seconds of eye contact passed before you started laughing uncontrollably.

“Your face!” You said in between laughs, clutching your side. “You should’ve seen your face!”

“ _Me?_ ” Osamu scoffed but a hint of a smile managed to break free from the corners of his lips. “Ya should’ve seen yourself fall...”

“What are you two doing?!”

The both of you looked up at the confused look on your neighboring store owner’s face as she stood on the other side of the road. Her voice echoed throughout the street where both Onigiri Miya and her own ramen store were located, while Osamu helped you up and the two of you tried to dust yourselves off — which was a futile attempt, really, because you were both covered in bits of _mud_.

“Nothing,” you giggled, waving a hand to reassure her. “Just had a bit of a tumble!”

As if to prove the honesty of your statement, Osamu shook his head at her, smiling sheepishly.

“Alright, then,” she waved back. “You two better start cleaning up. Don’t wait for the mud to dry up on your clothes!”

Without another word, she turned and went back inside as the two of you called out, “Yes, ma’am!”

You looked back at Osamu before you started laughing again. “Samu! We match!”

The younger twin smiled at your observation before looking down at himself to see that, indeed, the two of you had small matching mud prints on the front of your shirts. “That we do,” he chuckled. “But ya should be more careful, [Y/N]. Ya could’ve hurt yerself when you slipped.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” you grumbled adorably, walking closer to your best friend. Despite your slightly muddied appearance, you were still the most beautiful thing he had ever seen and just when you couldn’t look any more angelic in his eyes, a few butterflies of all things flocked towards you, complementing your beauty.

To add icing to the cake, the bright afternoon sun casted a glow from behind you and enveloped you in the most beautiful golden spotlight.

_Beautiful… Nature suits you..._

At that moment, you reminded him of the summertime, and the butterflies, and everything stunning and bright. _They belong with you — the summertime, the butterflies, the sunlight…_

Psh. So first you were an angel, then you were a queen, and now you were some kind of earthly goddess? God, Osamu had never been more thankful that twin telepathy didn’t, in fact, exist and Atsumu couldn’t read his mind right now. The blonde twin would _never_ let him live it down.

“I’m serious,” he persisted just as you were no more than a foot away from him now. “Ya need to make more of an effort to take care of yerself. Otherwise—“

“Oops!” You muttered as you wiped your muddy hands on his cheeks purposely, laughing playfully as you did so. “My hands slipped!”

Osamu’s eyes widened in disbelief at the way you made even more of a mess of him. He couldn’t believe you did that. He _loved_ being clean — you knew that — and yet here you were, rubbing your hands on his face as if it was a blank canvas.

“Look! A mud facial!” You giggled, loving the feeling of teasing the usually calm twin. “What’s that, Samu? Aren’t you gonna tell me off? Not gonna say anything?”

If it were any other person, he would’ve stared them down with anger evident in his eyes. If it were any other person, he would’ve bluntly said all the words going through his mind right now. If it were any other person, he would’ve even opted to stay murderously quiet.

“Ya angry?” You giggled, trying to push all of his buttons. “What do you have to say to me, Osamu?”

_But it wasn’t just any other person. It was you._

So, instead, in an attempt to make you stop, he decided the best way to shut you up was finally saying the few words that he’d been wanting to say for a while now.

“[Y/N]?”

“Mhm?”

“I do have somethin’ to tell ya.”

“I figured.” You snickered playfully. “So… Gonna tell me off, now, big guy? Go on! I’d like to see you try!”

Osamu took a deep breath for what was probably the hundredth time that day. _Maybe this was finally it? No more interruptions? His phone was on silent mode and yours was inside so no more annoying phone calls? And no one else was here, so no more random passersby bumping into him?_

_Right. This was it. Finally._ “[Y/N]?”

“What?!” You went up in his face in a teasing manner. “That’s the millionth time you said my name! Talk already!”

You were so close. All he had to do was bend down and he could kiss you, to finally experience the feel of your soft lips on his.

_But before he could do that, he had to confess something first…_

“[Y/N], I, uh…” He looked straight into your eyes, gray eyes meeting yours. “I lov—”

_“What are you guys doing?”_

The two of you straightened up at the sound of the former captain’s voice. Turning your heads, you saw the familiar figure of Kita Shinsuke on the driveway, right on time to deliver the much needed sacks of rice that’ll last Onigiri Miya for (hopefully) the next month or so.

Your face lit up immediately, and with a shrill “Kita-san!”, you scrambled to run towards the former captain, only to stop a few feet away from him when said captain held a hand up to you, frowning at your muddied clothes. As you proceeded to tell him about how you and Osamu _hilariously_ tumbled along the grass, your best friend on the other hand simply waved at his former senior teammate as he tried to contain his frustrations.

_Every. Single. Time. God, is the universe trying to say something?!_

“You two,” Kita said in his usual no-nonsense voice. “Care to explain why you’re just standing around here and letting the mud dry? Instead of going inside and cleaning yourselves up?”

“Hey! We were just about to,” you replied coolly, all the while holding eye contact with your high school friend as if to say _see, we can be responsible too, you know?_

Said friend merely stared at you blankly, causing you to squirm, before he turned to Osamu who still stood silently in quiet frustration. “Osamu, I’m gonna start heaving the sacks. Why don’t you two clean up and help me afterwards?”

The dark haired twin merely nodded, grabbing your wrist and dragging you inside. You laughed at the unexplainable expression on his face before he suddenly surprised you by grabbing your waist and pulling you to him. He then placed a gentle kiss on your forehead before pulling away and walking ahead of you back towards the restaurant.

You smiled at the gesture, ignoring the actual butterflies still flocking around you, as well as the metaphorical ones fluttering in your stomach at your best friend’s touch.

He was already a few feet away from you when you mentally hyped yourself up. Just as a lone yellow butterfly landed on your outstretched index finger, you called out to him.

“Hey!”

He turned back around to look at you expectantly. He eyed the butterfly accompanying you and smiled appreciatively. You made eye contact, purposely delaying whatever it was you were going to say.

Finally… “Race ya inside!”

Without another word, you ran as fast as you could towards the front door, playfully pinching Osamu as you passed him and laughing all the way. Kita smiled slightly and shook his head at your antics, watching as the younger twin suddenly jumped up and ran to catch up to you.

The former captain looked on in amusement, the sight of his _kouhai_ chasing you around was a sight too familiar, with you laughing at how he easily caught up to you.

It was moments like these that reminded Osamu of why he started loving you in the first place. And it was definitely moments like these that made him think that _maybe_ the universe didn’t completely hate him.

(Maybe?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i forgot to share this on the last update but a big shoutout to **doodleniella** on tumblr for creating an amazing drawing for chapter 1 of this story!! check it out [here](https://doodleniella.tumblr.com/post/632858806701981697/me-examining-her-work-hmm-not-quite-bad-for-a)! :)
> 
> p.s. i fell in love with 'olivia' right from the very first time i listened to it! it's pretty fun and catchy, it's hard not to get hooked :3 anyways, thank you for reading!! 🥰


	4. Wolves (06:00PM)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And my heart keeps fighting in this battle of fools  
> Gotta make it through, gotta make it through

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “To me, _Wolves_ is about, you’ve got this great girl, and it makes me think of being in the club. And loads of these guys are trying it on with your girl, and you’re just like ‘no’.”
> 
> —L.J.P. on [Wolves](https://open.spotify.com/track/4hJfmMjy3wFIOknfYwhouY)

**[06:00PM]**

“Samu! [Y/N]! Ya came!”

Osamu stared at his twin, unimpressed. “This is my house, ya scrub. Why wouldn’t I come to yer own party held in _my_ apartment?”

It was still early evening and there were already quite a number of partygoers inside — but you supposed that was to be expected since Atsumu, after all, was a renowned volleyball player who was visiting home for a couple of weeks. A party held by him, which was sure to involve a bunch of famous names in the nationwide volleyball scene, would naturally garner a bunch of eager guests.

Atsumu’s face scrunched in confusion as he ushered you and his twin inside. “But weren’t ya plannin’ on tellin’ [Y/N] today?”

“Tell me what?” You gave them a look and at the corner of your eye, you saw a very familiar slouched figure approaching your trio.

But Atsumu didn’t appear to have heard you. Instead, he carried on rambling to his twin. “I thought you’d finally tell her, for sure! And I figured you two would skip the party and get a room somewhere and y’know…” He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. “...celebrate yer newfound lov— OW! WHAT WAS THAT FOR, SAMU?!”

“Shut yer trap!”

“Oh, I see,” you crossed your arms. “You two are keeping secrets from me now, aren’t ya?”

Atsumu snickered. “But Samu’s always been keepin’ a big secret from ya— OW! SAMU!”

“I SAID SHUT YER TRAP!”

“What’s going on with the twins?”

You looked up at the slouched figure of Suna Rintarou, who showed up at just the right time to get the two brothers to stop bickering. “Who knows?” You smiled at the bored expression on your old classmate’s face and playfully poked his cheek. “What’s with the look, Suna? Is anything wrong?”

“I don’t know. Is anything _right_?”

“Touché,” you giggled before turning back to face the twins who had both quieted down now but were still glaring daggers at each other. “Hey! You two done fighting already? No, come on, gimme more! You can do better than that!”

Suna rolled his eyes at you before he, too, faced the twins. “What is it this time?” He stared pointedly at Osamu, knowing full well he’d get a better answer from him but just as the younger twin opened his mouth to enlighten the middle blocker, Atsumu cut him off.

“Samu’s a coward! He’s a chicken! That’s what’s goin’ on—”

“Shut yer mouth, ya foul-mouthed pig—”

“I’d rather be a pig than a chicken! Yer a chicken, Samu! Yer a—”

“I’ll kill ya! I’ll kill ya with my bare hands, ya scrub—”

_(Suna sighed, turning to you, whispering. “Wanna get out of here?”_

_You stared at the two grown men bickering like a bunch of kids in front of you. You had initially wanted to spend time with Osamu during the party but the said twin was a bit too… preoccupied... at the moment._

_“Yeah, sure.”)_

“You can kill me all ya want, ya chicken—”

“Don’t test me, Tsumu! I’m this close to strangling ya—”

“—but that won’t change the fact that ya still haven’t told [Y/N] how ya feel about her. You’re! A! Big! Chicken!”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP! I’ll tell her right now! I’ll tell her right now in front of yer eyes,” Osamu whipped his head to the side where you were supposed to be standing. “I’ll tell her that I lov—”

You weren’t there. _When did you leave?_

“[Y/N]?”

“Great goin’, ya chicken” Atsumu scowled at his twin, tutting. “Now [Y/N]’s probably hookin’ up with Suna right now ‘cause yer too much of a chicken to tell her—”

“I ain’t gunna finish that sentence if I were you, ya pig,” the younger twin seethed as he tried looking past the crowd of partygoers to try and find you or Suna but… nothing.

“Fine! Fine! I give up,” the blonde twin held his hands up in surrender before slowly backing away to enjoy the party. “I’m just sayin’... Ya better square up and tell her soon, or someone else will swoop in and confess to her, too.”

“[Y/N] is a real _person_ , ‘Tsumu.” The party noise was getting louder now and Osamu had to raise his voice a bit as Atsumu was already a few steps away from him. “She has her own mind. Just because someone tries to woo her, that doesn’t mean she’s automatically gonna like ‘em back.”

“I know, I know. But [Y/N]’s really pretty, ‘Samu. She’s fuckin’ great, and I’m sure a lot of _wolves_ can see that. Take yer pick.”

And without another word, Atsumu backed away further and immersed in the crowd of partygoers, leaving Osamu to ponder in silence — well, as much silence as he could get in the middle of a party — at his twin’s last words.

_She’s fuckin’ great, and I’m sure a lot of wolves can see that..._

_...and I’m sure a lot of wolves can see that..._

_...a lot of wolves can see that..._

Osamu startled, jumping slightly, and turned on his heel to head outside. He had to find you. He had to tell you how he felt before it was too late. He had to let you know before someone else got a chance. He _had_ to.

He sprinted to the front yard, frantically searching through the throngs of people, before he caught sight of a very familiar figure.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t you.

“Woah, I haven’t seen you this frantic since Atsumu stole your pudding cup back in high school…”

Ojiro Aran stood in all his 6 feet glory, smiling at Osamu and clapping a hand on his kouhai’s shoulder. Not wanting to be rude, the younger twin caught up with his old teammate, the two men exchanging bits of stories of their careers and life ventures.

Aran, in particular, was the more animated in the conversation than the dark haired twin. Said twin, on the other hand, merely nodded at the right times, smiling slightly, all the while resuming his frantic searching, his eyes darting quickly among the faces in the crowd.

“What’s got you so worked up, Osamu? Atsumu said something dumb again?”

“Nah— I mean, yeah— I mean...” The dark haired twin trailed off, turning to properly face his senpai. “Have ya seen [Y/N]?”

“[Y/N]?” Aran blinked before a smirk graced his features. It had been _years_ yet his kouhai was still pining after his high school crush? _Ah, youth…_ “Yeah, why? I think I saw her by the kitchen, talking to some guy—”

“That’s probably Suna.”

“Nah, Suna wasn’t with her when I saw her…”

Osamu gulped. Didn’t you wander off with Suna? Who were you talking to, then?

_(“She’s fuckin’ great, and I’m sure a lot of wolves can see that.”)_

“Dammit!” Aran jumped at the younger twin’s outburst before said twin turned on his heel and headed back inside with a quick wave and a hurried “See ya later, Aran-kun!”

With the speed and agility that only someone who played sports in their teenage years could possess, Osamu leaped and dodged expertly through the crowd, effectively making his way into the kitchen. But instead of your unmistakable figure, all he saw were three familiar figures waving at him.

“Osamu! What’s up?” The inviting voice of Akagi called out to him as Ginjima and Oomimi waved at him.

The dark haired twin waved back and, deciding that he might as well spare a few moments to greet his old teammates properly, walked closer to the trio. Agitated as he was, he exchanged pleasantries with the three and spent a good chunk of time catching up with them, before his restlessness got the best of him and he finally asked them the million dollar question. “Have ya guys seen [Y/N]?”

“Oh, she’s here? Are ya guys together now?” Akagi eagerly interrogated him.

“No, I’m just looking for her—”

“About time, you guys!” Ginjima clapped Osamu on the back with more force than necessary. “You two were so sickly sweet back in high school, it was disgusting!”

“We’re not together.” (Yet?)

“I saw her on the balcony,” Oomimi put the younger twin out of his misery. _Finally…_ “Some guys were tryna talk to her, I think.” And just like that, the misery came back. “But I think she just waved them off and climbed up to the rooftop.”

_Misery, gone!_

“Thanks, Oomimi-san!” And before Oomimi nor the other two men could reply, Osamu scampered out of the kitchen and headed towards the stairs.

You were on the rooftop, he was _sure_ of it. The rooftop had always been your safe haven, whether it was at your own house or his — a sanctuary. He knew you always favored rooftops especially when you didn’t want to be disturbed, didn’t want to be bothered.

And right now, that was exactly what Osamu wanted. Needed, even.

Climbing up the modest landing of his rooftop, the gray eyed twin caught sight of your figure laying flat on your back and staring up at the night sky.

_A romantic starry evening? No unwanted interruptions? Perfect!_ He just about sighed in relief.

“I shoulda known you were here,” he mumbled softly — a stark contrast to the harsh beating in his chest — approaching you. “I’ve been lookin’ everywhere for ya. I thought ya were with Suna?”

“Some other volleyball player dragged him away,” you huffed and a few seconds later, you yawned. It was cut short, however, when you suddenly pointed to the sky. “Samu, look! That cloud’s shaped like a fox!”

“Sure,” Osamu said, dragging out the word as he, too, dropped down beside you and laid flat on his back.

“You don’t believe me?”

“Well, psychologically speakin’,” he nudged your shoulder playfully. “The human eye tends to project our deepest desires on the things we see.”

You scoffed, not once taking your eyes off the sky. “What would my deepest desires have to do with a fox, then?”

“You tell me! Yer the one who saw it. Maybe ya just wanna be a shapeshifter or somethin’— Or maybe ya wanna be some kind of fox spirit and—”

“What do you see, Samu?”

“Huh?” He turned his head to the side to look at you but your eyes never strayed from the clouds that challenged your imagination.

“If I see a fox… or whatever it is I see… What do _you_ see, then?”

It was quiet for a moment as Osamu stared at your serene face. Your eyes were half-lidded by now but he couldn’t pinpoint whether it was because you were exhausted or because you were squinting. He then turned his head back to stare at the night sky above, mulling over what he was gonna answer you. Finally, he settled on something simple (yet effective, hopefully).

“I see you…” He tried not to cringe at how cheesy he was being but you didn’t seem to react… _And he had a point, promise!_ And he swore he was getting to it. “...but I also don’t see you?”

_God, he was so lame._

“What— What I mean is… I see ya everywhere,” he continued, eyes never leaving the randomly shaped clouds in the night sky, not having the guts to look you in the eye as he tried to articulate exactly how he felt. “I see ya in the mornings when I make my coffee. I see ya on my way to the restaurant whenever I walk past those cherry blossoms in the park. I see ya at night when I’m ‘bout to fall asleep. I see ya in the bar, the edge of my bed, in the backseat of my car... I even see ya in my dreams, it’s scary...”

That was the most words Osamu said the whole day. But no matter how dumb he felt, he wasn’t gonna stop now.

“[Y/N], I... I love you.”

_Finally! He finally said it._

(Or did he?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'wolves' was, straight off the bat, such a bop! i was hooked right on the first listen ahhhh it just sounds so fun 🥰
> 
> as always, thank you for reading! :)


	5. End of the Day (11:00PM)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I told her that I loved her, was not sure if she heard  
> The roof was pretty windy and she didn’t say a word  
> Party dying downstairs, had nothing left to do  
> Just me, her, and the moon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “I think just the way that when you listen to it and you’re like ‘okay, this is cool’ then the chorus comes in and it goes into the half-time and you’re like ‘okay, this has become something else now’ and it feels more interesting to listen to. And that hook is really simple but it just sticks in your head.”
> 
> —L.W.T. on [End of the Day](https://open.spotify.com/track/5AezhHjX3R1bmxcAEgrFpS)

**[11:00PM]**

A hundred and twenty seconds.

The silence between the two of you had lasted for a good one hundred and twenty seconds now and it was getting kind of uncomfortable. Shifting awkwardly, Osamu sneaked a glance at you only to see that your eyes were closed and your breathing had evened out.

_What the— Great! I finally told her I love her, and she fell asleep on me…_

Of course… If he thought no external factors were gonna interrupt him, he should’ve known _you_ were the one who would cause yet _another_ flaw in his much anticipated confession.

Shrugging off his jacket, he draped it over your sleeping figure, before putting a hand behind his head and leaning back to stare again at the night sky. The two of you were laying flat on your backs on the rooftop of Atsumu’s party and the chaos downstairs droned on in the background but it did nothing to stir you from your peaceful slumber.

Osamu sighed. The night was young, the moon was full, and the gentle evening breeze was perfect tonight. _Everything_ was perfect. He even perfectly said those three little words earlier yet as soon as he breathed those sweet words out into the air, you were already looking to be a few stages deep into your REM cycles.

Shaking his head, the dark haired twin stared at your sleeping form, the corner of his lips turning upwards into a smirk at the sight. Your lips were pursed, eyes scrunched closed, and strands of your hair were in disarray at the top of your head. But even then, he had never seen a prettier sight.

No, wait. Scratch that.

The sight of you during the grand opening of Onigiri Miya, proudly wearing your own uniform that matched his. Black shirt, apron, cap, all donned on. You were cheering loudly, jumping up and down in delight as if the two of you finally pulled off the business partnership of a lifetime — _that_ was the most beautiful sight. And looking back, that sight was definitely the one thing that made him realize he thought of you as more than a best friend.

He wanted you.

At the end of the day, amidst all the chaos of cooking and taking orders and securing profits, he only wanted _you._

He _loved_ you.

But did you love him, too? With each and every attempt he made that day at telling you he loved you, it seemed like the universe was hell-bent on interrupting him every single time. Was the universe trying to tell him something? Was it telling him that perhaps you didn’t feel the same way?

There was always that lingering fear that you _did_ love him, but just not in the way he wanted. Add in the fact that if, say, he were to (successfully) confess and you would be forced to gently let him down, your friendship would never be the same again.

And that thought scared him.

He tried to get rid of his feelings for you, he really did. He stalled for _years_ in telling you how he felt about you. But he had to remind himself that you were best friends, first and foremost, and each day when the sun came down, he could take comfort in the fact that your friendship was strong and everything would be alright either way.

The only problem was... now that the day had come when he finally decided to come clean to you, the universe was toying with him.

Maybe he should’ve felt dejected but this was _you_. He was hopelessly in love with you and even if you didn’t feel the same way, he owed it to you to tell you. Besides, at the end of the day, people loved who they loved — there wasn’t any other way.

He sighed.

Osamu reached out a hand to tuck in the few wayward strands of your hair back behind your ear but he accidentally brushed over the ticklish spot on your neck. His heart skipped a beat when you stirred, shifting in your sleep and groggily cracked an eye open at him.

“Samu… That tickles.”

“I’m sorry I woke ya.”

“Nah, it’s fine,” you mumbled, sitting up and rubbing your eyes in an attempt to fight the sleepiness, before pulling his jacket tighter around your body. “It was getting cold, anyway. What time is it? We should probably head back in—”

“No, wait,” he grabbed your arm gently. “Let’s… stay…” His hand slid down your arm and held your hand, his fingers intertwined with yours and _what was that fluttering in your stomach?_ “Let’s hang out here for a while…”

“Okay.” _How could you ever refuse him?_

You laid back down and the two of you stayed like that — with your hands intertwined and your eyes staring straight up at the sky — for a few tranquil moments, save for your heart’s frantic breathing and Osamu’s uneven breaths. You couldn’t exactly pinpoint what it was, but there was something in the air at that moment. Something different.

You turned your head to the side only to find that Osamu was already looking at you, his eyes a little glossy with something swimming in them but you didn’t know what it was.

(Or maybe you did but you didn’t want to be too presumptive.)

“Samu?”

“Hm?”

“You’re staring…”

With how the two of you lounged on the rooftop and with you saying those exact same words, you had come full circle. A strange sense of _deja vu_ filled you as you remembered a similar scene that played out just that morning. Only this time, you were finally, finally, _finally_ going to listen to what he had to say.

_Full circle._

“Well, so are you…” he mumbled, his own droopy eyes remained trained on you.

You brought your intertwined hands up to poke his cheek which only led to him gripping your hand even tighter. You closed your eyes and smiled at the gesture and _why was it getting harder and harder to breathe?_ “Samu?”

“Yeah?”

You opened your eyes. “What were you trying to tell me earlier?”

Osamu stilled for a few seconds before his body finally relaxed and he cocked his head a bit, smirking. For the first time that day, he didn’t feel rushed, didn’t feel the need to get the words out. For the first time that day, a strange sense of peace filled him as he looked at the serene expression on your face.

“I think ya already know, [Y/N]...”

“I think I do, too… But I wanna hear you say it.”

The younger twin grinned before shaking his head at you. “Nah, I think I’m gonna test yer patience a bit.”

“What?!” You sat up and looked at him in disbelief. “But—”

“No buts, princess. Or did ya forget the hell I went through the whole day?” He followed suit and sat up, leaning back on his hands. “This whole day, people — including you — kept testin’ me. Nuh uh, I think I’m gonna let ya suffer a bit, if ya don’t mind.”

“Oh, but I do mind! And I didn’t mean to make you—”

“I know, I know.” Osamu felt bad for being delighted at the annoyed look on your face but he meant what he said. Throughout the whole day, he felt as though he was chasing an unreachable deadline in trying to tell you he loved you. And now that he finally ran things at his own pace, he figured he’d make you wait a while, too.

Osamu was no saint. He definitely had an evil side, too, and right now, that evil part of him was cackling at the sight of your impatient expression.

“No fair,” you pouted.

“Sorry, honey,” he ruffled your hair much to your further annoyance. “But if there’s one thing I learned today, it’s that the universe isn’t fair.”

“So first you were a psychological expert, and now you’re an expert on the universe? Wow, ‘Samu.”

“Don’t ya go poutin’ at me now.”

“But Samu!” You suddenly sat up on your knees and faced him, reaching out both hands to grasp his, and looked up at him. “I— I think I…”

“You think what?”

“Today, you kept trying to tell me something and I…” You trailed off before taking a shaky breath. “I think I have something to tell you, too.”

Osamu waited, face schooled into a neutral expression in an attempt to disguise the frantic beating in his chest because _what was happening? Had the universe done a complete one-eighty? Instead of him telling you he loved you, were you the one who would end up confessing instead?_

“Samu, I think… I think I lo—”

_“OI! THERE YOU ARE!”_

This time, it was _you_ who had quietly seethed in frustration while Osamu simply smirked at you in amusement.

_Dammit! Was this what Samu had to put up with the whole day?_

“What’s up, ‘Tsumu?” Osamu asked his twin who had just made himself at home on the modest space of the rooftop.

“I’ve been lookin’ everywhere for the two of ya,” Atsumu nudged you out of your frustrated trance and wiggled his eyebrows. “Aran-kun and the others are in the livin’ room for a couple of drinks. Care to join?”

To your utter horror, Osamu immediately agreed. “Sure,” he smirked at you. “Count us in.”

_Why did he— I thought he wanted us to be alone. Did he not want me to confess?_

At first, you were a bit worried and, not to mention, confused. But all that doubt washed away when a few moments later, just as the three of you were heading back inside and down to the living room, your phone vibrated in your pocket. Signalling at the two twins to go ahead, you unlocked your phone and read a new text message from… _Atsumu?_

[received: “Samu, I’m borrowing your jacket. And by the way, did you tell [Y/N] that you love her yet?”]

_Wait. What?!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'end of the day' got me hooked pretty much right from the start, during the first verse. and the "just me, her, and the moon" lyric? *swoon*
> 
> as always, thank you for reading! :)


	6. A.M. (04:30AM)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Feels like this could be forever tonight  
> Break these clocks, forget about time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "You can picture it, like it’s the end of the night after a big party and there’s a few of you left and you’re all just sitting around talking about crap. But they’re the best, they’re the times that you always remember."
> 
> —N.J.H. on [A.M.](https://open.spotify.com/track/5omYVLodGmaxnhua99xIE8?si=c5d2936b56094b2e)

A gentle gush of wind breezed through the dark summer sky.

Osamu had always liked the nights at home — they offered a variety. Sometimes, the nights were crowded and loud. Other times, they were peaceful, even calm. And this night, in particular, fell into the latter category.

The party had finally quieted down, the hoards of partygoers had already left a few hours ago and the few ones who stayed were knocked out in various areas of the house, leaving you and the former Inarizaki High School Boys Volleyball Team as the only ones awake in the considerably spacious living room.

But even if the party was still at full swing, he still wouldn’t find it distracting. And as he lounged around with you and his old high school team in his humble little apartment at three in the morning (or was it four o’clock?), he still wouldn’t want the night to end.

Because even if some sort of chaos broke down outside, Osamu never felt more at ease.

That was how he always felt when he was with you, most especially now that both of you were only slightly tipsy, swimming around in your wine glasses, talking out of your asses with the rest of the guys about everything and nothing at the same time. Never mind the fact that your words were making less and less sense by the minute. Never mind the fact that it was already daybreak.

He never felt more at ease, more _at home_.

“Okay, okay,” you hiccupped, leaning back on your chair, the gold necklace he gave you before as a birthday gift catching the faint light. “Now that we’re talking about secrets, how about this…”

The guys waited for you to continue, Osamu especially with his lips tugged into a smirk at your flushed expression.

“So I… kinda had a crush on ‘Tsumu before… I mean, I used to think he was hot…” you trailed off.

It took a couple of seconds before all hell — and by hell, you meant two grown twins — broke loose.

_“Used to?! What, am I not hot anymore or somethin’?”_

_“Just him?! But we’re twins!”_

_“Don’t be too disappointed, Samu, I was always more attractive—”_

_“I’ll kick ya, ya scrub!”_

“Did you mean that? Really?” Suna whispered to you as the twins carried on pledging murder on each other, with the rest of the team looking on in amusement.

“Nah,” you winked, grinning cheekily. “Just wanted to mess with them.”

“That’s a relief,” he said blankly before pulling out his phone and recording the twins’ banter. You, on the other hand, stood up to go fetch some snacks from the kitchen.

You weren’t _that_ drunk. Not really. Atsumu was the worst of the bunch, with almost everyone handing him drinks left and right which he was too polite to refuse. And you knew for a fact that only a _drunk_ Atsumu would mistakenly text you what he did earlier. Ignoring the weight of your phone in your pocket, you made a mental note to bring him some water later because _hey, you were a damn good friend._

“Might I ask what made ya think it was a good idea to stroke ‘Tsumu’s ego today?”

You grinned at Osamu’s annoyed expression just as you were preparing a small bowl of chips. “You worry too much. He’s not even gonna remember that tomorrow— er, I mean, later.”

“I think yer forgettin’ that this is ‘Tsumu we’re talking ‘bout,” he moved closer to you and leaned against the kitchen island with his arms crossed. “Of course, he’s gonna remember yer so-called _secret_ — which, by the way, I know isn’t true.” He gave you a pointed look. “He’s not gonna stop braggin’ about it tomorrow, and who’s gonna have to bear the brunt of it? Me.”

“You poor baby,” you said teasingly, reaching out to cup his cheeks playfully. “I know what would cheer you up.” You squished his cheeks together while he scowled at the action and pulled out of your hold. “Wanna know another secret?”

“[Y/N], I’m a hundred percent sure that yer so-called secret is either a lie or somethin’ I already know before.”

“This one’s different, Samu. You don’t know this one yet, I’m sure of it!”

“Try me,” he raised his eyebrows in challenge.

Slowly, you leaned forward, inching your lips closer and closer to his. You tried to fight the amused smile threatening to escape from your mouth at the sight of Osamu frozen in shock and unconsciously puckering his own lips. But right at the last second, you turned your head and hovered your lips over his ear instead to which he breathed out a deep exhale. In heavy breaths, he heard you whisper a couple of words he was absolutely not expecting.

“My secret… is in my pocket right now…”

He blinked. Thrice in succession. “Uh… Yer phone? Yer wallet— What’re ya on about?”

You giggled, immediately reaching into your pocket and taking out your phone, unlocking it, and opening up Atsumu’s earlier text, before showing it to Osamu.

  
  
  
  


His normally droopy eyes widened as you leaned back to cheekily smile at him.

“That’s— It’s not what— I can explain!”

“What’s there to explain?” You giggled, and you would’ve felt bad for finding humor at his expense if it weren’t for the fact that the whole day had just been a complete rollercoaster of events. And _this_ was how it ended?

The younger twin gaped at you for a few moments, opening and closing his mouth as he tried to come up with a way to salvage his big revelation.

_Thanks a lot, Tsumu… This confession was years in the making, and this was how she found out? Through a wrongly sent text?_

“Well,” you stood straight with your hands on your waist and tapped your foot impatiently, teasingly. “Is there something you want to tell me?”

_That_ stumped him from his mini pity party. Shaking his head, he straightened up, as well, but before he could heed your demand, he stepped forward first to flick your forehead.

“That’s for ruinin’ my element of surprise,” he grumbled before pulling you gently by your arm to place a soft peck on the same part of your forehead. “And that’s for finally stayin’ still. God, woman, d’you have any idea what hell ya put me though the whole day?”

“Oh, boohoo. Don’t be such a bad sport,” you stuck out your tongue at him. “We’re here now, aren’t we?”

“That’s what ya think. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone comes in the kitchen right now and interrupts us again. Wanna place bets? A hundred yen says it’s gonna be Tsumu and—”

“With the way you’re still _yapping_ , I’d think you actually _want_ another interruption. Hurry up, Samu!”

That led him to chuckle, your reaction reminding him very much of his twin. And speaking of him, the wing spiker absolutely couldn’t wait to see the look on the setter’s face once the both of you would finally go back to the living room, preferably hand in hand, and you were no longer _just_ his best friend but officially his girlfriend.

But before that…

“[Y/N]?” He whispered, chuckling as he saw you roll your eyes at the prospect of him taking his sweet time again.

But this was it. He felt it. You felt it. He didn’t need a whole speech or any other grand declarations of love. All he needed were three simple words.

“I love you.”

_Silence._

Osamu had to admit that this was much more anticlimactic than he thought it was. But he supposed that was a good thing because that would mean his feelings didn’t come off as a surprise; that deep down, you knew all along.

You paused for a moment before you suddenly sniffled, your eyes tearing up — a stark contrast to your playful behavior earlier — but the dark haired twin knew you were anything but sad, especially after you replied with two words.

“You goof!”

(Not the reply he was looking for but he’d take it.)

“Couldn’t ya just say you love me too, like a normal person?”

“Shut up, you goof!”

“Again, that’s not exactly an ‘I love you, too’.”

“What makes you—” _Sniffle_. “—think that—” _Sniffle._ “—I’m in love with you too?”

But before he could come up with a clever retort, you suddenly wrapped your arms around him and buried your face in his chest, another stark contrast to your playful words. You started blubbering but the younger twin just shushed you, wiping your tears away, all the while laughing at your unnecessarily tearful state.

“Why are ya cryin’?”

“I don’t know.”

Osamu laughed heartily. Glancing at the nearby wall clock, he saw that it was way into the early morning. So _technically_ , it took him about a whole day to actually confess his feelings for you.

And, God, was it one hell of a day. But as he titled your head up to look into your (still teary) eyes, he realized that he wouldn’t have had it any other way. He spent years pining after you, longing for you, loving you. And at the end of this painfully long day, he finally, finally, _finally_ got to tell you.

“I love you, too, Samu.”

And _you_ finally got to tell him, too.

Gripping your chin gently, the dark haired twin smiled down at you in relief and elation.

“[Y/N]?”

“Yeah?” _Sniffle._

“I’m gonna kiss ya now, ‘kay?”

You chuckled, wiping your face after another sniffle or two, before finally smiling at him in return.

“Go ahead, Samu. You kept me waiting long enough.”

It would’ve been cliche to say that time stood still. But at that moment, with your lips against his, with your arms around each other, with your high school friends passed out drunk in the living room, and with the gentle daybreak breeze seeping through the open kitchen window, you might as well have broken all the clocks and forgotten all about time.

Truly, it was in the early hours of daybreak that the best things happened.

Looking back, Osamu realized that all of his favorite conversations happened in the wee hours of the morning with you. And this was probably his most treasured A.M. conversation yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you sm for reading!! <3
> 
> i wrote this last chapter on a rush in november/december last year and i wasn't really happy about it. but as i reread it now a good 3-ish months later, i'm kinda satisfied about it now? idk HAHAHA but yeah thank you sm for sticking until the end!
> 
> stay safe and happy! :D


End file.
